On June 5th and 6th Major League Baseball conducted their annual first year player draft where five Bruins and five Bruin commits were drafted. As soon as the draft ended, teams and draftees set their sights on August 15, the deadline for players to sign professional contracts. If they failed to sign, players could play in an independent league or college (if they had an eligibility remaining). For most players and unsigned contract means college so with August 15 in our rearview mirror let's take a look at how it all shook out for the Bruins and the Bruin commits.

Bruins:

Tim Murphy, LHP- Murphy, the Bruins' ace last season, was drafted in the third round (89 overall) by the Texas Rangers and signed within days for a $436,000 signing bonus. Murphy led the Bruins with a 3.34 ERA in 2008 and led the conference with 111 strikeouts. After signing, Murphy reported to the Spokane Indians of the Class A Northwest League where he is 3-1 with a 3.03 ERA, .152 batting average against and 40 strikeouts in 30.2 innings pitched.

Brandon Crawford, SS- Crawford was a three year starter for the Bruins and arguably the team's best player over all three years before being drafted by the San Francisco Giants in the fourth round (117 overall). Crawford started all 179 games in his three years at UCLA, batted over .300 in all three seasons and led the Bruins to the postseason each year. Crawford signed with the Giants for a $375,000 signing bonus, well over slot value, but didn't do so until August 13 so he has yet to report to his minor league assignment.

Jermaine Curtis, 3B- Curtis, UCLA's emotional leader for the past three seasons, was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in the fifth round (155 overall). Curtis, a three year starter, was named to the All-Pac 10 team in 2007 and was an honorable mention in 2006 and 2008. Curtis signed with the Cardinals on June 10 for a $181,000 bonus and has since reported to the Batavia Muckdogs of the Class A New York-Penn League. With the Muckdogs Curtis is batting .293 with a .373 on-base percentage, two home runs, 14 RBI and four steals.

Alden Carrithers, 2B- Carrithers transferred from UCSB to UCLA prior to his junior year and played two seasons in Westwood before being drafted in the 15th round (463 overall) by the Detroit Tigers. Carrithers batted .364 as a Bruin, sixth highest in program history and earned All-West Region honors as a senior. On July 5 Carrithers signed with the Tigers and reported to Detroit's Rookie League Tigers of the Gulf Coast League. Since  reporting, Carrithers has batted .303 with a .444 on-base percentage and has stolen 12 bases in 13 attempts.

Ryan Babineau, C- The team anchor behind the plate, Babineau was drafted in the 17th round (528 overall) by the Arizona Diamondbacks. Babineau was a three year starter, Freshman All-American and one of the best defensive catchers in the country for the Bruins. Babineau was another Bruins who signed soon after being drafted and he reported to the Yakima Bears of the Class A Northwest League. In Yakima, Babineau is batting .246 with 13 RBI, 6 steals and a .350 batting average with runners in scoring position. 

Commits:

Gerrit Cole, RHP- The gem of John Savage's recruiting class also was the biggest surprise when he bypassed the pros to play for the Bruins as Raisin noted. Cole said early on Friday that he would bypass the pros and be a Bruin, but most assumed the Yankees would never let their first round pick get away and would offer Cole enough money at the last minute that he couldn't turn it down; however, the Yankees came back with another offer after Cole had broken off talked, but Cole's mind was already made up. Cole possesses a plus slider and a plus fastball that touches 97 mph which earned him a #1 ranking among high school prospects by Perfect Game. Cole was drafted in the first round (28 overall) by the New York Yankees, about 20-25 spots lower than his talent would dictate however teams were scared off by his willingness to attend UCLA and his representation (Scott Boras).

Cutter Dykstra, OF- The son of former major leaguer Lenny Dykstra, Cutter was drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers in the second round (54 overall). Dykstra shot up the draft boards late thanks to outstanding athleticism (he received the highest SPARQ score at the 2007 Area Code Games) and excellent bat speed. Dykstra signed with the Brewers three days after the draft for a $737,000 bonus and bypassed what would have been an excellent opportunity to start in center field for the Bruins.

Tyler Chatwood, RHP/OF- Chatwood is a true two way player who excels on the mound and with the bat. He was drafted in the second round (74 overall) by the Anaheim Angels (yes, they're Anaheim!) as a pitcher and signed soon after for a $547,000 bonus. Once drafted by the Angels it was widely assumed Chatwood would sign considering he was drafted high and grew up an Angels fan. Had he made it to campus, Chatwood would have competed for a starting outfield spot as a freshman and could have stepped into the closer's role.

Clark Murphy, 1B/OF- A big kid with a lot of power, Murphy was drafted by the Texas Rangers in the fifth round (153 overall). During the home run derby at the AFLAC All-American Game last summer, Murphy hit some of the afternoons farthest shots despite hitting with wood bats and has trimmed down since, making him far more athletic. Despite the chance to be the DH for the Bruins as a freshman, Murphy signed with the Rangers with a week to go before the signing deadline for a $200,000 bonus.

Calvin Drummond, RHP- A late bloomer, Drummond was drafted in the 34th round (1,028 overall) by the Milwaukee Brewers. Drummond was a solid pitcher for most of his high school career, but a growth spurt that pushed him to 6'2'' turned him into hot college prospect. Despite being 6'6'', Drummond weighs only 160 pounds and is in serious need of some work in the weight room. Most don't expect Drummond to make a huge contribution early, but scouts believe he can be a very effective pitcher once he fills out. Drummond passed on turning pro and will join the Bruins for the 2009 season.

Conclusions:

There's no doubt the Bruins were hit hard by the draft and signing period, but that wasn't unexpected. The Bruins will have to replace their ace, catcher, second baseman, third baseman and shortstop in 2009. On top of the production the Bruins will be replacing, they will also have to replace the leadership that leaves with the players. UCLA was hoping another commit or two would make it to campus, but that hope went out the window when Dykstra and Chatwood both zoomed up the draft boards late and Murphy got above slot money. The fact that Cole will be a Bruin certainly eases the blow as the Bruins will have the nation's most talented freshman pitcher in the country and very possibly, one of the country's top pitchers in a year or two.

The amount of talent the Bruins lost cannot be underestimated so a strong start, especially with a brutal schedule is likely out of the question; however the team could certainly come together by the time conference play begins and be ready for another postseason run. Whether players like Casey Haerther, Gabe Cohen and a slew of underclassmen step up will determine their fortunes offensively. On the mound Cole will have time to develop because the Bruins will have one of the nation's deepest pitching staffs. Charles Brewer and Gavin Brooks are currently slated to be weekend starters and big things are expected from Rob Rasmussen as a sophomore. Cole, Gerrit Claypool, Matt Drummond, Dan Klein and Matt Grace will all vie for starting spots with the rest joining stud relievers Brendan Lafferty and Jason Novak in the bullpen. With all that depth, Cole will have the opportunity to compete for a starting spot, but will most likely have the luxury of beginning the season in the bullpen before moving to a midweek starter and possible Sunday starter if he performs well.

With most colleges beginning class in the next week or two the summer leagues have come to a conclusion so I will have an update on how all the Bruins did for the respective teams this summer in the next few days. That should be all the major college baseball news and information for a while. After the update on the summer leagues I don't anticipate any more baseball related posts until after the fall when fall practices are complete and the team begins to take shape. That should leave us about two months short of the February 20 opener versus UC Davis. GO BRUINS!!!

UPDATE: The official site has picked up on Cole attending UCLA and here's a few notes from it:

Cole, listed at 6-foot-3 and 195 pounds, becomes the first first-round draft selection out of high school to ever attend UCLA. Additionally, the hard-throwing right-hander is the first such draftee to enter college since 2001, when left-handed pitcher Jeremy Sowers enrolled at Vanderbilt after having been drafted by the Cincinnati Reds (20th overall). Former Bruin standouts Troy Glaus (37th overall, 1994 draft) and Chase Utley(76th overall, 1997) were both second-round draft picks in high school before enrolling at UCLA.

"I'm thrilled to have the opportunity to get my education and play baseball at UCLA," said Cole, who signed a National Letter of Intent in November 2007 to play in Westwood. "Coach Savage has really established UCLA as one of the nation's top college baseball programs, and that's something I want to be a part of. His knowledge as a pitching coach is only going to help my development, and I'm excited to get started with the Bruins this fall."

Gerrit Cole, star Bruin recruit (photo credit: campus.lhsoc.org)